APC Chieftain Oduola Writes Oshiomhole, Alleges Illegality Ahead Osun Ruling Party’s Guber Primary
OSUN 2018: WHY DIRECT PRIMARY IS
UNACCEPTABLE
We have monitored with bated breath
the activities of certain individuals within our party frenetically canvassing
for the adoption of direct primaries in the nomination of APC candidate for the
gubernatorial election coming up on the 19th day of July, 2018. We must
directly point out that the agitation is nothing but an effort towards imposing
the preferred aspirant of certain leaders of the party and some persons in the
government of Osun. The scheme is either to rig the election and/or force an
impossibility on the Party so as to impose their candidate.
In the first place, it is
indisputable that such method of primary election has never been applied
anywhere in our Party in any situation where there are more than one person
contesting for the ticket of the party. It is certain that a total of 17
persons has been shown to have bought and submitted nomination forms and have
been screened for the purpose of participating in the primary election coming
up on the 19th day of July, 2018. In the circumstance, it is an avenue to
create chaos to suggest that consensus approach would be considered save and
except where all the aspirants agree that one of them should be fielded by the
party.
Based on the above, it is considered
imperative to state reasons why the direct primary method cannot fly. Below are
the reasons:
1. In the first instance, by the
Constitution of All Progressives Congress, 2014 (as amended), the National
Executive Committee (NEC) is the only body that can approve guidelines for
conducting primary elections for the purpose of nominating candidates of the
party and the extant decision of the National Executive Committee on the issue
is the use of the indirect primaries. This, to the best of our knowledge, has
not been revisited. Yet, your leadership is being rumoured to be dancing to the
cacophonous tunes played by certain individuals calling for direct primaries.
(See Article 20(v) of APC Constitution, 2014 (as amended).
2. It must also be remembered that
it requires a minimum of seven days’ notice to convene an emergency NEC meeting
to approve a National Working Committee’s recommendation to issue guidelines
for nomination of candidates which again is not possible within the time left
before the primary election for Osun State gubernatorial election on the 19th
day of July, 2018.
3. By Section 85 (1) of the
Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), INEC is supposed to be given 21 days’ notice
in order to be able to effectively monitor the primary election of every party.
Assuming without conceding that such notice has been given to INEC, it means
INEC would have to deploy a minimum of 332 officials to monitor the primary
election of APC in all the constitutionally recognised 332 Wards in Osun. Where
is the logistics support? So if other parties adopt a similar method for their
primaries, INEC would have to deploy the same number of staff to monitor their
primaries!
4. Furthermore, it requires a
credible membership register to conduct a direct primary election which is
absent today in Osun State. It is on record, and this is indisputable, that we
do not have any credible register of members with required means of proving
authenticity.
5. Assuming without conceding the
possibility of adopting direct primaries, before this can be adopted, it is
necessary to issue Wards registers of members to all aspirants who would have
the opportunity to study same and confirm the authenticity thereof before any
credible poll can be effectively organized. There must also be sufficient room
for complaints before the poll is organized as regards anomalies that may be
discovered in the registers. It is certain that the time left can never be
sufficient to carry out this indispensable exercise before the 19th day of
July, 2018.
6. It is the law and the convention
that no political party would go into any election without having been given
voters’ registers that would be used for and prior to the election. This
equally applies to aspirants who are to contest primary elections as there must
be exhibition of membership registers in order to fish out illegal insertions
or emergency members manufactured by powers that be.
7. It is only in our party, APC,
that less than five days to the primary election, some people are attempting to
impose a shift in the goal post in the middle of the game without credible
guidelines having been put in place and without any notice whatsoever to other
stakeholders. Till this moment, the leaders of our party have not consulted any
aspirant as to the mode by which the primary election would be conducted save
and except the anointed candidate of the government in Osun and the purported
regional leaders.
8. It is equally the case that we
are aware of activities by certain individuals in government in Osun who have
printed fake membership slips for their thugs, cronies and surrogates to be
paraded as lawful members of the party in order to secure victory at the
primary for their anointed candidate. We are also aware of the plan of some
government officials to rig the primary election by concocting results ahead of
the holding of the primary.
9. In addition, electoral officers
to conduct such primary election for each Ward cannot be appointed by the
current Party/ government officials in Osun who have openly shown their bias
for a particular aspirant otherwise they would be judges in their own cause.
Thus, electoral officials that would preside on the election in every of the
332 Wards in Osun must come from the national secretariat of APC to guarantee
neutrality and must be picked with the consent of all candidates as the local
executives cannot be the ones to do this since as delegates for the purpose of
indirect primary, they already have their preferences.
10. If Your Excellency’s antecedent
is anything to go by, it would be disappointing to note that few days to the
primary election in Osun, no credible notice is out for the mode of
conducting the primary election to enable aspirants effectively prepare for
same. If the mode of primaries must change and the Guidelines used for indirect
primary for 2014 gubernatorial election in Osun must change, there must be
sufficient notice to all stakeholders as it is known that Your Excellency would
not consent to such an illegal procedure as is being currently carried out
under your watch if you were to be an aspirant.
Beyond this, the representation made
so far, particularly stemming from the Convention on all other States, as
recent as Ekiti primary, is the use of indirect primaries. With four days to
the primary, it is impossible for the party to reverse itself as it is
estopped.
It must be pointed out in summary
that the general public is watching what your leadership is doing and would be
glad to know that this litmus test for your administration is carried out
without blemish. Again, it is to be noted that any contravention of the Party
Constitution as well as the Electoral Act can only lead to the nullification of
our Party primary and, by extension, our eventual candidature. It is hoped that
the party leadership will not, by dancing to the tune of some self-acclaimed
leaders, endanger the interest of our candidate, and by extension, the Party in
general. We shall appreciate a decision resisting injustice and perpetuating
internal democracy within our party.
Thanks.
Yours faithfully,
Adekunle Oduola, a chieftain of the APC. He lives in Osogbo.
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